“Tiger Cubs 2” Is Behind Schedule

Producer of Tiger Cubs 2 <飛虎II> series, Lam Chi Wah (林志華), has recently revealed that filming for the police drama has been proceeding a lot slower than expected.

“The weather isn’t cooperating,” the producer sighed. “It has seriously impeded our schedule.”

Producer Lam also hinted that Tiger Cubs 2 may eventually exceed its original budget. He said, “A typical 20-episode drama would normally take 40 days to complete, but because Tiger Cubs 2 has more outdoor photography than regular dramas, filming would take at least 60 days! We’ve prepared a large budget, but let’s hope it won’t go over.”

Tiger Cubs 2 is the sequel to the successful 2012 summer blockbuster drama of the same name, which starred Joe Ma (馬德鐘), Jessica Hsuan (宣萱), Him Law (羅仲謙), Oscar Leung (梁烈唯), Vincent Wong (王浩信), and Mandy Wong (黃 智雯). Joe, Him, Oscar, and Mandy will reprise their roles as SDU officers in the sequel. Though Jessica originally agreed to star in the sequel, she later dropped out of the project. In August 2013, Linda Chung (鍾嘉欣) was announced to be the sequel’s lead actress.

The running time for the original Tiger Cubs did not conform with the average length of a typical TVB drama, and was produced at 13 episodes that ran for 90 minutes per episode. The crime drama was a summer hit, and it boosted the popularity of Him, Oscar, Vincent, and Mandy.

Like the original series, Tiger Cubs 2 will continue with its television movie setup. It is planned to run for 20 regular episodes with 10 different case stories.

With a high production value, Tiger Cubs 2 was budgeted at over $1 million HKD. Producer Lam said, “We filmed using real guns and ammunition. Although they don’t have warheads, [the guns] really give the scenes an extra realistic touch. Fake guns lack tactile quality. With real guns, the actors can present true reactions. Explosions and shootouts will look more realistic.”

Joe Ma’s Most Difficult Drama to Film

Lead star Joe Ma, who portrays SDU Senior Inspector Chin Hon To, groaned that Tiger Cubs 2 has been by far his most difficult drama to shoot in his 20-year acting career. Joe explained, “The last Tiger Cubs was filmed during the fall. This one is being filmed during the summer. Not only do we have to move around in such hot weather, we also have to wear really thick uniforms that are packed with heavy gear. We also have many action scenes. This is by far my most difficult drama I have ever filmed. There are also a lot of scenes of us training. We have to shoot in the mountains – the climate there is either really sunny with no clouds or pouring with rain! It’s hot and there are mosquitoes everywhere… but no matter how difficult, we should face these challenges positively!”

Asked if Tiger Cubs 2 is currently behind schedule, Joe said, “We have a lot of grand scenes. If we cannot complete them all in one day, we have to rebuild the set all over again for the next day, so that does take some time. If our minds can handle it, we will try to finish everything in one day. But weather is a big issue; it’s the typhoon season after all. We originally planned to have filming be completed by mid-September, but now, I don’t know when we’ll finish.”

Producer Lam expressed that shooting for Tiger Cubs 2 is even more difficult than shooting for costume period dramas, but he praised the cast’s diligence. “When they encounter problems, they will go through it together. We will do things that help them ease the struggle, such as building tents for shade and providing cold drinks. If things do get too difficult, we will allow them to take extra breaks.”

Him Law Misses “Triumph in the Skies 2” Promotions

Him, who portrays SDU acting sergeant Yu Hok Lai, missed several Triumph in the Skies 2 <衝上雲霄II> promotions due to the filming of Tiger Cubs 2.

“[Tiger Cubs 2] is behind schedule,” confirmed Him. “Because it is a sequel, the producer wants to include bigger scenes. It requires more time to do them.”

As for skipping out on Triumph in the Skies 2 promotions due to Tiger Cubs 2 obligations, Him said, “[The drama is] about SDU officers, so there are a lot of group scenes. It’s really hard to request for leave [to attend promotions]. However, I really hope that I will be able to take part in Triumph in the Skies 2 promotions later.”

Source: Ming Pao Weekly #2336 via ihktv.com

This article is written by Addy for JayneStars.com.